He’s receiving a lot of pressure.
Since former President Donald Trump chose Ohio Senator JD Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy, as his running mate, Vance has faced scrutiny over past comments that critics argue could harm their election prospects.
In a previous interview, Vance made controversial remarks about “childless cat ladies” and suggested that people without children should face higher taxes. His comments, which included disparaging remarks about Vice President Kamala Harris, have resurfaced and are being used to criticize his suitability for office.
Vance’s team maintains that his recent appearance at the Republican National Convention was successful and that the Harris campaign is merely dredging up old footage to discredit him. However, some women supporting the Republican ticket are concerned that Vance’s comments and his attempts to address them are inadequate. Jessica Reed Kraus, founder of House Inhabit Substack, expressed that Vance’s phrasing is off-putting to undecided female voters and warned that failing to improve his messaging could jeopardize the Trump-Vance campaign.
Rachael Dean Wilson, managing director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy, cautioned against the divisive nature of Vance’s comments, noting that they create unnecessary polarization between mothers and non-mothers. She emphasized that such divisive rhetoric benefits America’s adversaries and weakens the nation’s global position.
In response to the criticism, Vance has attempted to move forward. He recently criticized the Biden administration’s border policies and appeared on the Full Send podcast, which targets a younger male audience. Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, defended his past remarks as a misguided attempt to make a substantive point about public policy being “anti-family.” JD Vance himself has stated that his comments were meant sarcastically and that his underlying message is that current policies make it difficult to raise a family. Despite this, some supporters like Hannah Claire Brimelow argue that Vance’s stance on family values is valid and criticize the Harris campaign for focusing on outdated clips instead of more pressing issues.
